The Man Behind the Scenes By Juliet McShannon Jan. 7 -- Rob York likes to keep a low profile. As consultant for the Bayside District Corporation for the past 12 years, he has quietly worked away from the spotlight helping the Downtown grow from a struggling row of shops into a bustling destination. "A lot of my work in Santa Monica is quietly working with property owners, City staff, Bayside staff and different retailers," York says. "Sometimes it is more effective to just be behind the scenes." A partner in the consulting firm The Fransen Company in Santa Monica, York makes a monthly public appearance at Bayside Board meetings, where his presentations often trigger discussions and sometimes help shape the policies for the Downtown. "I present a snapshot of the retail activity in the area, of businesses either looking to come in and those that have actually signed leases," York says. "I work with the individual property owners and retailers and basically try to help the Board put some of their priorities in context." York's main long term project is helping the City redevelop Downtown's infrastructure -- including building new parking structures and making streets more pedestrian friendly -- and tackling the traffic problem on and near the Promenade that has become a daily gripe of local Santa Monicans. York accepts that an increase in traffic is inevitable anytime an area grows. But the solution, he says, is not stopping, but managing, growth. "There will inevitably be some incremental growth in the number of people. But isn't that better than a slow decline of people coming Downtown? You generally don't get the option of freezing and standing still. Instead you have to look to create a balanced way to accept the uses and provide greater opportunities." The key, York says, is to view Downtown in its entirety and spread the Promenade's success to neighboring streets. "We need to expand the geography beyond Third Street to get people to turn the corner," he says. In addition to expanding what is commonly viewed as the heart of the city and adding parking, York suggests finding a better way to deal with already existing anchor spaces, such as the movie theaters, which are losing their competitive edge. He also would like to see Santa Monica Place become more "user-friendly." "At the moment it is not able to serve the community effectively, even though it has two big department stores under its roof," York says. "It really is in the wrong location, which leads us to another problem of general lack of space. "These are multi-year projects, and if we don't get some real traction on them soon, we may turn around in five or even ten years and realize that we did a great job managing the short term stuff, but now things have got out of balance," he adds. York is also mindful of the problems wrought by the Promenade's success, dividing them into the daily operational issues, "the ongoing management of public space" and the more "substantial issues," which require a longer-term solution. Included in the daily management problems is public safety. York praises the City, Bayside District and Santa Monica Police for doing their best, but refers to crime prevention efforts as not consistently passing the "grandmother test" or the "mom with young kids" test. "Not everyone is comfortable being Downtown every hour of the day," York says. "You can't control everything that happens in a public place, nor do we want to, but we need to make the area feel safer for everyone." York knew from an early age that he would probably follow in his father's footsteps and become a retail consultant. "My father was involved in the retail and development business and I got an early exposure to it," he says. "It's been always interesting to me that almost by happenstance I came into this field." York's practical training came between undergraduate and graduate school, when he did real estate consulting work in New York City. In fact, he has led a nomadic lifestyle living on both coasts. Born in Seattle, York spent his formative years in San Francisco and New York, where he completed high school. He then continued his studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, taking Political Science as an undergrad, and finally graduating with a degree in Finance and Marketing. Having worked on projects all across America, Canada , Mexico and the Caribbean, York has a personal interest in Santa Monica, which he has called "home" for the past 15 years. "Santa Monica has been my back yard for so long now, it is easier for me to be more hands-on here than with some of the other projects I have worked on," he says. "I just love the area's diversity. You can hear multiple languages, experience different backgrounds, cultures and social strata. You literally have the homeless and billionaires sharing the Promenade. It’s a fairly unique situation." York is hesitant to take any praise for his efforts in finding working solutions for Downtown. "My job is to do my best in helping to provide the Bayside District
with a broader perspective. If I can do that, great. If I can help them
find effective long term solutions, even better.” |
Copyright 1999-2008 surfsantamonica.com. All Rights Reserved. |